The Sun At Noon
by Meneldur
Summary: The epic story of the life of Yoshiyyahu - his work, his reform and the last battle which lead to his death.


Author's Note: This started out as a school project. I chose Yoshiyyahu (Josiah) because he was one of my favorite characters when I read the Bible. Also, I was in a dark mood at the time, and this fit perfectly. It nagged at me, and I eventually got back to it, re-edited it and completed it. I decided to post this here. Please review, but be constructive; don't insult me, my story, or the Bible. I'm not a fanatic who believes that everything that was written happened, but I do think large portions were truth. I tried to portray Yoshiyyahu based on what I learned from Talmudiac sources.

Also, all dates given are based on the Jewish calendar and Reckoning. To convert them, subtract 3760 years and you'll get to the Gregorian Reckoning.

All the names used are phonetically spelled, as written in the Koren Bible.

A brief glossary: Yehuda – Judah, Yoshiyyahu – Josiah, Yirmeyahu – Jeremiah, Yesha'yahu – Isaiah, Moshe – Moses.

Sources: Deuteronomy 27-28, Kings II, 22-23, Lamentations, Chronicles II, 34-35, Midrash HaGadol Devarim, Ta'anit Tractate, Eicha Rabah.

The Sun at Noon

_"And it shall come to pass on that day, says the Lord G-d, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon."- Amos VIII, 9._

_"'I will cause the sun to go down at noon' – That is the day of Yoshiyyahu." – Mo'ed Katan Tractate, page 25._

_3285 To the Creation of the World, Jerusalem, Yehuda:_

He was eight years old. Still a child, in many ways. And yet, he was somewhat mature. He had a good understanding of what was happening. Of course, he had been brought up to rule, King Amon's eldest son. But more than that, it seemed he had known the truth about his father. He had always respected him, as a son should, but he never seemed to like him much, at least in the small amount of time he had spent with him. Perhaps that was wrong; but he could not shake off the feeling that his father was a bad man, who had done bad things.

He was going to be crowned today, he knew. Assassins had killed his father, but the people avenged him, and killed the assassins. He would be king instead of his father. He would not rule, of course. He was still too young, and most likely his mother would share power with the nobles. But when he grew up, he would rule. And not like his father, he determined. He knew his father had been a tyrant, though he was not exactly sure what he had done to become one; his nurses and mother had talked about it occasionally, always whispering. He had the vague impression you needed to do bad things to become a tyrant, like kill people and make war. He understood that that was probably the reason why his father had been assassinated.

At that moment, he made a vow in his heart. He would never be a tyrant like his father. He would find the right way, the just way to rule. And all his people would love him, and there will always be peace in his realm, never war. Never.

_3303_ _To the Creation of the World, Jerusalem, Yehuda:_

Yoshiyyahu was now 26. He had ruled for over eighteen years, and he had done so as he promised himself: wisely and justly, and most of all with peace. When he was 13, he had found the right way: the Way of the Lord. It had shown him how to do what he wanted. So he banned idol-worshipping, and embraced the commands of the prophets and priests. And most recently, he had started a project of renewing and repairing the Temple.

Shafan, his scribe, had come in. Shafan quickly reported on the matter of the repairs, and Yoshiyyahu asked a few questions. He thought they were finished, when Shafan brought out a worn scroll. "Hilqiyya the High Priest has given me a book he has found in the Temple during the repairs. Should I read it to you, my king?"

Yoshiyyahu was surprised; he was certain many scrolls and books had been found in the repairs, neglected by his father and grandfather. Why did Shafan want to read it? But after all, the High Priest had given it to Shafan. There must be something important in that book.

"Certainly, Shafan, read it to me. But first, what book is this?"

"Hilqiyyah said it was the book of the Torah, your majesty." Shafan then opened the scroll, and started reading at random from where he'd opened.

"Cursed be he that does not maintain all the words of the Torah to do them. And the people shall say, Amen."

Shafan looked over at Yoshiyyahu. He had paled, and made an involuntary sound like a choked gasp. "My king, is all well?"

Yoshiyyahu nodded, perhaps a bit too vehemently. "Yes, yes. Skip a few verses, would you?"

Shafan nodded, moved forward in the scroll, and began to read again: "The Lord shall bring thee and thy king whom thou shall set over thee, to a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, of wood and stone. And thou shalt become an astonish-"

"Stop!" Yoshiyyahu cried out. Shafan looked up, and saw his king with tears in his eyes. As he watched, Yoshiyyahu ripped apart his clothes in mourning and grief.

"Go inquire if the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Yehuda, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened to the words of this book, to do according all that which is written concerning us."

Shafan bowed, hiding his shock. "Immediately, your majesty."

Shafan exited leaving Yoshiyyahu alone in the room, where he slowly sank to the floor. "Our fathers… it all comes back to the sins of our fathers…"

Hilqiyyah, Shafan, Ahiqam, 'Akhbor and 'Asaya stood before the door of the room where the king was in. They were nervous. They had gone and asked the Lord what to do, as Yoshiyyahu had instructed them, but they were afraid to tell the king the Lord's answer. At last, Hilqiyyah overcame his nervousness. "It is the Lord's Will," he said, "and the king must accept it." With that, he opened the door, forcing the others to follow.

They came in to find the king in a shocking state: with ripped robes, sitting on the floor, looking like a man mourning his wife. But he was alert as ever, and immediately when they came in asked them the dreaded question. "Well? What did the Lord say?"

They looked to each other nervously, and finally, Shafan stepped forward, taking the responsibility for it; after all, he was the one who caused this. "We went to Hulda the prophetess, and this is what she told us, exactly as she told us: "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 'This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Yehuda has read. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.' Tell the king of Yehuda, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, 'This is what the Lord, the G-d of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.' "That was all."

Yoshiyyahu looked confused for a few moments, then his face hardened. "Then I know what I must do," he said, and rose from the floor.

Hilqiyyah stepped forward. "My king, I know that this message must make you distraught, but you cannot rebel against the wishes of the Lord. It will certainly not help matters. Please, talk with us. Do not make any rash moves."

Yoshiyyahu looked at him, then laughed, a bitter, humorless laugh. "Rebel against the Lord? I have no intention of doing that, my lord priest. No, I have something far different in mind. Ahiqam, 'Akhbor, 'Asaya," he snapped suddenly to the three nobles. "Send out messages to all the nobles, sages, and people of Yehuda. Gather them all, from the youngest to the eldest. I want them to be in the Temple in a week at the most, all of them!"

The three nobles bowed, murmuring "At once, my king," and quickly exited. Hilqiyyah turned to the king. "My king, what are you planning to do?"

Yoshiyyahu turned towards him, face set. "What my forefathers have written down, back to Hezekiah, my great-grandfather: 'Even if a sharp sword lies on your neck, do not give up hope.' My reign is still at hand, and I will bring peace to my people."

_A Week Later, The Temple, Jerusalem, Yehuda:_

Yoshiyyahu stood on the Pillar of the Courtyard of the Temple, looking down at the multitude gathered before him. He knew that all the people of Yehuda who could come had, urged by his command, even the women and children. He raised his hands for silence, but he saw there was no need; all the people were awaiting his words. Even the children were quiet, understanding that this was not a place to be rowdy in. Yoshiyyahu held out his hands, and Hilqiyyah gave into his hands the Book of the Torah, still open where Shafan had first read from it. Yoshiyyahu started to read from the twenty-eight chapter of Devarim, or Deuteronomy.

"But it shall come to pass, if thou will not hearken to the voice of the Lord they God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statues which I command thee this day, that all these curses come upon thee and overtake thee. Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed thou shalt be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy cattle and the young of thy sheep… Also every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of this Torah the lord shall bring upon thee until you are destroyed…" And so Yoshiyyahu relentlessly continued, reading out to the people fifty three verses full of horrible curses. When he had finished, the people were shocked. Many had ripped their clothes in mourning, and others were crying.

Yoshiyyahu felt a presence. _This is why the Lord made me and what I was born for_, he thought, and he raised his voice in a shout. "Before all these curses were read, Shafan the Scribe read to me a previous verse: 'Cursed be he that does not maintain all the words of the Torah to do them.' We will maintain!"

The people answered him, as he knew he would. "Yes!" "We will maintain!" "Make a covenant!"

And so Yoshiyyahu stood on the Pillar, and made the covenant with the people of Yehuda before the Lord, 'to walk before the Lord, and to keep His commandments and testimonies and his statues with all their heart and all their soul, to keep the words of this covenant that were written in the Book of the Torah.'

After the covenant was made, Yoshiyyahu had the priests bring out all the vessels that were made for the idols, and had them burned; and he his people began a great work of purification. They burned and razed and destroyed all the idols and the vessels which had been used to sacrifice to them and to the sun and the moon. They killed all of the idolatrous priests and false prophets, and burned their bones on their altars. And so all the places from of idols and false worship were defiled and destroyed, from Geva to Be'er-Sheva. And when he came to Beit-El to do so, he saw a monument for a true prophet. He asked the locals regarding the monument, and they told him that it was the tomb of a prophet who had prophesied that "A child shall be born to the house of David, Yoshiyyahu by name; and upon thee he shall slay the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall they burn upon thee." And so Yoshiyyahu fulfilled the prophecy; and as he did so, he knew that indeed, _this was why the Lord made him and what he was born for_.

_The Fourteenth of the First Month (Nisan), 3303_ _To the Creation of the World, Jerusalem, Yehuda:_

It was the great festival of Pesach, or Passover. A holiday during which all of Israel should come to the Jerusalem and the Temple, to eat the sacrifice of the Pesach and celebrate before the Lord. Yoshiyyahu knew from the chronicles he had read that no such Pesach had been kept during the days of the judges and the kings, until him. He saw this as just another sign from the Lord – Pesach was the festival of freedom, when the Lord had brought them out of slavery in Egypt. This success of his was obviously a sign that he was the one chosen by the Lord to bring freedom and peace to His people. And so he commanded the priests and Levites to sanctify and prepare themselves, and contributed from his personal herd thirty-thousand lambs and kids, and three thousand heads of cattle. And his nobles also contributed seven thousand six hundred lambs and kids, and eight hundred oxen.

As he looked out from his palace at all the people celebrating, many of which had come not from his kingdom, but from the former Kingdom of Israel, he again felt it – the utter certainty that he was the one chosen by the Lord to bring peace to his people. And he had succeeded.

_3318 To the Creation of the World, Jerusalem, Yehuda:_

Yoshiyyahu had called for a council in his place. He had summoned the nobles, priests and the prophet Yirmeyahu. He stood before them, and began.

"I have learned of a grave threat. Nekho, the Pharaoh of Egypt has gathered an army, and plans to march to Karkemish by Perat, where he plans to fight the King of Babylon. To do so, he intends to march through our lands. I do not intend to let him do so, and wish to stop him. What are your thoughts on the matter?"

It was rather as he expected. The priests said that if there was no advantage to be gained and Nekho was not attacking them, he should not risk the lives of the people. The nobles were willing to fight, but only if there was good reason to, and a good chance of victory. Yirmeyahu wished to know his reasons for wanting to fight Nekho when they were no threatened.

"I will answer all of you at once", he said. "Babylon will be the next great empire. Assyria is collapsing, and will not be able to hold without Egypt. It is not only that Assyria has long been our enemy; Babylon is also our ally, having made an alliance with my great-grandfather, Yehizqiyyahu of blessed memory. Babylon will be the next great empire, and prudence tells us to keep true to out alliance, so we will prosper. That is the advantage we gain. As for winning? The Torah told us expressly that 'If you walk in my statues, and keep my commandments and do them… I will give peace in the land, and you will lie down, and none shall make you afraid; and I will remove evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.' And we were taught by the sages: "'The sword' – even the sword of peace". We have spent nearly thirty years keeping the Lord's commandments; what greater assurance of victory is there?"

When the nobles heard this, they immediately agreed. The priests were also swayed, especially by the religious arguments. Only Yirmeyahu still looked doubtful.

"I was taught", he said, "by my teacher, the great prophet Yesha'yahu, the following: 'And I will set Mizrayim against Mizrayim'. You should not fight, my king. Leave the King of Egypt to fall by his own hand. You do not need this."

Yoshiyyahu looked at Yirmeyahu with astonishment. "Come, Yirmeyahu, surely you have heard what I said? Our teacher, the greatest prophet, Moshe, has said that even the sword of peace shall not pass through our land. Surley his words outweigh those of Yesha'yahu, no?"

Yirmeyahu said nothing, still looking doubtful and uncertain.

"Well", Yoshiyyahu continued, "since it seems we all agree, prepare our army."

_10 days later, Valley of Megiddo:_

Yoshiyyahu looked out on his army. It was shortly after dawn. They had already prayed the morning prayers. Today the battle would happen. Nekho had tried to dissuade him, claiming that he had no quarrel with him and that his gods would destroy him if Yoshiyyahu tried to stop him. Yoshiyyahu had paid no attention to this. Nekhos 'gods' were nothing more than empty idols, and the true God, the Lord, was with him, as he always had been.

Some of his generals had expressed concern regarding the battle stations. They had wanted to stand at the narrow pass of Megiddo, and so have the advantage, for Nekho would not be able to utilize his chariot archers properly. But in the end, they had agreed with Yoshiyyahu that it did not truly matter; after all, the Lord was with them, so they would win.

Soon, the battle was joined. Yoshiyyahu was winning. The forces of Egypt were retreating, and the people of Yehudah were pressing forward with religious fervor, led by Yoshiyyahu at their head, seemingly invincible. Yoshiyyahu laughed, even as he smote down another soldier; nothing could stand before the Chosen of the Lord! He cheered exultantly, shouting "For the Lord and Yehuda!" even as he pressed forward.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of many hooves. He saw that it was the Egyptian chariots, finally deployed on the field. He charged ahead, fearlessly. Even as he outpaced the rest of his troops, he heard a sound, like the plucking of a harp. He laughed happily, imagining it was the Harp of David, his ancestor, who founded the Royal line and Kingdom of Yehuda, come from Heaven to support him. He looked upward, half seriously, half in joke, perhaps to see his ancestor, or thank the Lord. It was like a dark cloud in the sky, he noted. He was suddenly confused, for it did not look like a harp or a sign from the Lord. Moreover, he noted, it seemed to be descending rapidly. He turned his head fro a moment, looking back to his troops, where shouts and cries had broken out… and suddenly, there was no time.

The flight, over three-hundred chariot archers launching their arrows at the king, struck with devastating accuracy. Yoshiyyahu fell backwards from his chariot, even as his charioteer fell dead and horses and chariot crashed to the ground. People quickly reached him, picking him up and retreating eastwards, the army following. Nekho watched them retreat, satisfied. He had lost a minor part of his force, knowing that all he had to do was wait for a moment when the king was vulnerable. Cut off the head, and the body would fall. He told his generals to rearrange the army in marching order; there would be no more battle until Karkemish.

_Jerusalem:_

The city was in mourning. They had heard the news already. A defeat at the Vale of Megiddo, and the king mortally wounded. Many people had torn their clothes in mourning, and the sounds of weeping were rising from every street, and could be heard even in the palace. Yirmeyahu stood with the nobles and the priests in the palace courtyard. Incredibly, Yoshiyyahu was still alive, and had somehow survived the trip to Jerusalem. They were awaiting him; a death watch, in a way. He deserved to die with his people surrounding him.

Yirmeyahu watched as a chariot slowly drove in. He watched as Yoshiyyahu was gently brought down from it, and laid on a bed which had brought out beforehand. He looked like a porcupine – they had not removed the arrows from his armor or body, fearing that it would aggravate the bleeding and hasten his death. He watched as one by one, each priest and noble came up to the bed, murmuring a few words of loyalty, bowing in respect, or simply weeping in sadness. When all had done so, he slowly approached the bed.

What could he say? 'I told you so'? He stood by the bed, uncertain. As he stood there, he saw that Yoshiyyahu was seconds away from death. From somewhere, though, Yoshiyyahu managed to find the strength to lift his head, and see Yirmeyahu. He recognized him, and his lips started to move. Yirmeyahu immediately leaned close to hear what Yoshiyyahu had to say; a final instruction, perhaps?

"I thought… that I was chosen… that I could do what I wanted", Yoshiyyahu whispered to him. "Always having the right to do so… for the Lord was with me… I was wrong." As Yirmeyahu looked into his eyes, Yoshiyyahu seemed to shrug in apology. "The Lord is righteous… for I have rebelled against his word", he whispered, and lay back down again. A few moments later, his breathing stopped.

Yirmeyahu rent his clothes, and let loose a cry of anguish and pain. "The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord was taken in their pits, of whom we said, under his shadow we shall live among the nations!" He cried out in mourning.

_"And Yirmeyahu lamented for Yoshiyyahu; and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Yoshiyyahu in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations._

_Now the rest of the acts of Yoshiyyahu, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the Lord,_

_And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Yehuda."_


End file.
